ProverbWisdom
Spanish origin
Spanish originMás vale ser cabeza de ratón que cola de león
Meaning: It is better to lead something small than to be a minor part of something big.
Literally: Better to be a mouse's head than a lion's tail
Example: “Prefiero dirigir mi pequeña empresa que ser uno más en una multinacional. Más vale ser cabeza de ratón que cola de león.” — I'd rather run my small company than be a cog in a multinational: better the head of an ass than the tail of a horse.
Equivalents in English, French, Japanese, German, Italian, and Chinese
English: Better be the head of an ass than the tail of a horse.
French: Mieux vaut être tête de chien que queue de lion (literally: Better be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion)
Japanese: 鶏口となるも牛後となるなかれ (Keikou to naru mo gyūgo to naru nakare) (literally: Rather be the beak of a rooster than the rear of an ox)
German: Lieber der Erste im Dorf als der Zweite in Rom (literally: Rather the first in the village than the second in Rome)
Italian: È meglio essere testa d'anguilla che coda di storione (literally: Better the head of an eel than the tail of a sturgeon)
Chinese: 宁为鸡口，无为牛后 (Nìng wéi jī kǒu, wú wéi niú hòu) (literally: Better a rooster's beak than an ox's rear)
Origin: The same choice Plutarch has Julius Caesar make in a poor Alpine village: he would rather be first there than second in Rome. German keeps Caesar's version, lieber der Erste im Dorf als der Zweite in Rom.
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